Abortion is on the ballot in California next week, or at least that’s what Democratic leaders want voters to believe. Californians will vote on an amendment, Proposition 1, which would add the “fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” to the state constitution in a jurisdiction where abortion is already legal and widely popular. But that hasn’t stopped prominent Democrats from spending time and money on building support for the amendment.
Even though Proposition 1 adds no new protections to abortion, and abortion is and will remain legal in the state of California without passing the amendment, many of the country’s most prominent Democrats such as Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have rallied and raised millions for the “Yes on Prop 1” campaign. In addition to Proposition 1, Newsom is expected to sign more than a dozen abortion-related bills this year.
Democratic political strategist Robin Swanson told CapRadio, a Sacramento NPR affiliate, that the state’s leaders are banking on the issue not only as a way to boost voter turnout for tight races but to send a message to the rest of the country that California is an abortion “safe haven.”
“I think they’re trying to create a sense of urgency around it,” she said. “A lot of Californians feel sort of immune to these right-wing, conservative ideas affecting our lives. But seeing 50 years of precedent overturned should be a shock to our systems.”
